France’s financial prosecutor’s office announced in a statement that last October it opened two new investigations “into the conditions of intervention of consulting companies in 2017 and 2022” and “into possible allegations of favoritism and favouritism”.
The statement, which did not mention which election campaign or who could have benefited from this crime of favoritism, increases the pressure on Emmanuel Macron, as it is a direct response to information published this Thursday by the newspaper Le Parisien, which claims that justice is investigating the 2017 and 2022 French presidential bids. Election campaign financing related to contracts with McKinsey consulting company.
“After various information published in the press, the prosecutor’s office wants to clarify the situation of various criminal proceedings,” the statement said. In addition to the already well-known investigation of “aggravated tax fraud laundering” against the McKinsey group, the prosecutor’s office mentions an investigation that arose out of “allegations of inconsistencies in campaign accounts and understatement of accounting elements in the accounts. campaign” and “investigation into allegations of favoritism and favoritism”.
The French president did not want to comment on Le Parisien’s information or the prosecutor’s statement. Reuters agency reports. The prosecutor’s office indicated that the investigation was extended in response to complaints from various associations and politicians.
Le Monde revealed that McKinsey worked on the current French president’s 2017 election campaign. In addition, some of his staff later went on to positions of responsibility in Macron’s party, La República en Marcha (LREM), or in his executive cabinet.
Senate Investigative Committee
The investigation into McKinsey began with a report by the Senate Investigative Committee, which was submitted in mid-March on the growing influence of consulting companies on the work of the public administration during the Macron administration.
The parliamentary commission created at the initiative of a group of left-wing opposition senators highlighted in its findings that since 2018 the government has doubled the use of private consultants for many jobs in the state administration, amounting to 894 million euros in 2021.
He also complained that this increase in consultancy contracts was done without transparency and also highlighted that McKinsey, which was one of the main beneficiaries, did not pay corporate tax between 2011 and 2020.
Macron responded in late March to accusations from the opposition during the campaign for this year’s April presidential election – in which he was re-elected – that those who suspected manipulation should be brought to court if they had evidence.
Source: El Diario
